Legal
Legal issues in the correctional system encompass various topics, including inmate rights, staff conduct, and compliance with state and federal laws. This directory offers articles and resources on the legal aspects of correctional facility operations, helping staff stay informed about the regulations and policies that govern their work. Understanding legal responsibilities is essential for minimizing liability and ensuring facilities operate within the law. For more information, explore our section on Corrections Policies.
The Allegheny County corrections union is challenging a voter-backed ban on chemical agents and restraints
The judge ruled that a “blanket ban on hormone therapy constitutes grossly inadequate care for gender dysphoria and risks imminent injury”
Derrick Groves, caught months after escaping through a jail wall, was sentenced for killing two men during a 2018 Mardi Gras party
The former officer claims in a lawsuit that he had been forced to work alone in the prison’s restricted housing unit despite being ill and untrained
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced the winners Wednesday of the second round of its Safety and Justice Challenge grants, including the largest award to Philadelphia
A Lowndes County jury ruled Tuesday in favor of a former Valdosta State Prison employee who accused the state prison system of retaliating against him for whistleblowing
A former prisoner claims his right to free speech under the First Amendment was violated when he was disciplined for a profanity-laced statement he made to a CO
Inmates at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center, Delaware’s maximum-security prison, rioted Feb. 1 last year, killing prison guard Steven Floyd and taking three other staffers hostage
According to the new law, prospective employers must conduct at least one in-person interview before inquiring about any past misdeeds
Footage shows Judge R.W. Buzzard shedding his black robe to run after the inmates
The Texas Supreme Court will review a decision that required prison officials to identify the state execution drug provider
The new laws focused on reducing the state’s then-highest incarceration rate in the nation
As the judge looked on, puzzled, the suspect pulled several yellow lined pieces of paper from one of his socks
“Criminal history, like all history, should not be erased,” said Gov. Henry McMaster when he vetoed the legislation in May
“We’re not asking for favorable treatment for pregnant [COs] — we’re asking that everybody be treated equally on a case-by-case basis,” attorney Arnold Peter said
Pa. legislature recently adopted a new bill that says state officials must give three months written notice to employees that it intends to close a prison
A jury deliberated for less than three hours before reaching a guilty verdict in the death of female correctional officer Mari Johnson
The defendants attacked three officers, causing numerous injuries, including a fractured orbital wall, fractured shoulder, fractured thumb, lacerations and bruises
A paraplegic inmate testified that conditions were so foul in one of the infirmaries at Louisiana State Penitentiary that he couldn’t wait to return to the prison’s general population
Kristopher’s Law is named for Kristopher D. Moules, an officer who died during an altercation with an inmate in 2016
Bills signed by Gov. Jerry Brown this year made big changes to juvenile courts, police records and the state’s murder law
The 33-year-old woman alleged in her suit filed in Manhattan Federal Court that the abuse began in September 2015
Despite first denying he was involved, the inmate later confessed to the killing on tape, prosecutors say
Attorneys filed a motion accusing sheriff’s officials of conspiring with jail phone vendor to breach calls between inmates and their attorneys
Cleveland Municipal Judge Michael Nelson said he won’t send people to the Cuyahoga County Jail because he believes it is no longer safe
Jurors ruled the inmate’s rights were not violated when he was never taken outdoors during permanent stays at the infirmary in three state prisons from 2011 to 2016
The new law, designed to separate kids from the confines of one of the nation’s most notoriously violent jails, went into effect Monday
At least eight inmates have filed lawsuits against the NMCD over the issue of solitary confinement since January
California will give a second chance to potentially hundreds of people serving time for murders they did not commit
By overusing the “steel door solution,” Colo. DOC executive director said, prisons “had lost sight of the mission”
Georgia’s prison population was about 53,000 at the end of 2017, down from nearly 55,000 at its peak in July 2012
“If [bailing out inmates] is done without any discussion ... it’s going to make New York City less safe,” NYPD Commissioner O’Neill said
The officers shot the inmate with a dozen pepper balls when he tried to escape after flooding his cell
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